Former First Lady Barbara Bush released from Houston hospital

Barbara Bush, shown in 2012, was discharged from Houston Methodist Hospital on Saturday morning after six days of treatment for pneumonia.

Barbara Bush, shown in 2012, was discharged from Houston Methodist Hospital on Saturday morning after six days of treatment for pneumonia. (Tom Pennington / Getty Images)

Saba Hamedy

After six days of receiving treatment for pneumonia, Barbara Bush — the wife of one president and the mother of another — was released from Houston Methodist Hospital on Saturday morning.

"I cannot thank the doctors and nurses at Houston Methodist enough for making sure I got the best treatment and got back to George and our dogs as quickly as possible," Bush, 88, said in a statement.

Barbara Bush, the wife of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush, 89, was admitted to the hospital on New Year's Eve for a "respiratory-related issue," family spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement Tuesday.

While getting treatment, she received many visits from her husband. To celebrate New Year's Eve, McGrath said the two watched the Texas A&M football team play Duke in the Chik-fil-A Bowl.

President Obama sent the former first lady a message from the White House, wishing her a "speedy recovery" and sending "thoughts and prayers" her way.

Barbara Bush had received treatment from the hospital before. In 2008 she underwent surgery to close a hole in her small intestine caused by an ulcer and later to replace her aortic valve.

Also, while serving as first lady in 1989, she suffered from Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid. She took medications for the disease and received radiation as part of her treatment.